Scrub Away the Blues

For me, there is nothing better than soft, glowing skin and the best way to gorgeous skin is with a great scrub.

My favorite scrubs are homemade with poppy-seeds, oatmeal, or citric juice as the main stars, but the St. Ives Apricot Scrub is just as amazing! It’s affordable, made with natural ingredients, and best of all… you won’t dirty up your kitchen in the pursuit of glowing skin!

It’s made with water, walnut shell powder, and apricot extract. The grains are similar to the feeling of sand, and although they are great on the body, they may be a little rough for the face…so if you have sensitive skin I would avoid using the scrub on your face.

The consistency is very thick so it’s perfect for use in the shower and the smell is great! It smells refreshing, clean, and (as the jar says) invigorating….perfect for an early morning jolt!

Use the scrub 2 – 4 times a week and you will see and feel the results!

Happy Skin in Chicago

When traveling, some people enjoy finding good sales, great local food, or tours through history…I love all these adventures, but my favorite is finding a hidden local spa that can help calm and rejuvenate my tired skin.

While visiting Chicago this past weekend, I found just the place that could help me and my skin relax after a long trip north. Allyu Spa…their slogan says “a place for healing” and it truly is. This spa is healing mind, body and spirit!

My travel companion and I walked about a mile to the spa Saturday morning for our 10 am appointments. We both booked their signature facial which is designed around your specific skin type and needs.

The atmosphere in Allyu was great…peaceful, serine, tranquil…all things a spa should be. The motif was centered around a South American feel with earthy furniture and decorations…the most interesting aspect was the walls leading to the facial rooms were created out of rocks nestled behind iron rods.

The treatment rooms were softly lit and a calming CD was playing…and maybe I was just super tired but even the treatment bed was comfortable enough to take a serious nap!

My esthetician was amazing….professional, insightful, and friendly. She had a great touch (not to soft but not too hard…Goldilocks would have been thrilled!) and she really customized my treatments to help my skin get the most out of the facial.
I told her I wanted a really good deep clean because my skin felt so congested and gross. She started with a gentle deep cleanser then applied a papaya mask that helped open my pores and release any debris that was clogged.

After an amazing upper back massage, she began extractions. Extractions are never pleasant (let’s face it…you’re squeezing out all the stuff trapped under your skin) but she was gentle and didn’t force out gunk that wasn’t ready to go so the process was not unbearable.

Next she applied a calming mask to help my skin return to a nice balance and did a great hand massage while the mask was setting. Finally she removed the mask, applied a softening moisturize, eye cream, and lip balm and left me to slowly get dressed.

After my 60 minute facial, I joined my travel buddy in the “meditation area” which was a large space with several couches and pillows and beautiful curtains draped over everything in a way that made the space look like a Moroccan tent in an oasis.
While sipping some relaxing chamomile tea, my friend told me what an amazing facial she had received. She was thrilled with the results on not only her skin but also her mind and spirit.

Check out the Allyu Spa website and if you’re in the Chicago area, set up an appointment!

www.allyuspa.com

photo: allyuspa.com

A Beautiful Book

One of the most beautiful things about summer is being able to curl up with a good book on a stormy afternoon. My book of choice is usually junk-food literature…amazing locations, sexy characters, and a hereon that conquers all…I like the feel good, guilty-pleasure books!
I was drawn toward one at Barnes and Noble last week called Face Value by Kathleen Baird-Murray. The book follows a simple magazine writer from her lonely life in the U.K. to an exciting yet strange new world of beauty in New York City.
The book is written with a witty attitude that makes reading a cinch…this is a book you can finish over a long weekend. Although it is a light read, don’t let the British sarcasm and numerous product references fool you. This book opened my eyes to serious issues in the beauty industry.
One of the main issues in the book is plastic surgery. Has our view of beauty been completely skewed by constant bombardment of overly perfected celebrities?

Do we, as a culture, even know what beauty is anymore?

My personal opinion is no…we don’t know true beauty anymore. Differences are what make us beautiful because they make us unique. Although there are movements to broaden the beauty box we have put ourselves in, nothing will change until our minds change…until we can look at differences as beautiful.
So, with inspiration from Baird-Murray’s book and in honor of unique beauties around the world, I want to propose we end every day acknowledging a beautiful moment….be it a budding flower, a mother hugging her daughter, or you seeing beauty in your eyes!

photo: focusonstyle.com

Product Review- Spray Tans

My First Spray Tan

I love the sun! I love how it warms my soul, brightens my day (literally) and gives my skin a golden glow. However, the sun is not without its evils…it burns, blisters and can cause cancer if you don’t take precautions and wear sunscreen. It also causes less harmful but equally un-attractive issues like brown spots and dry patches.

Since I have chosen beauty reporting and all things involved as my future profession, I feel the need to stay on top of trends, information, and my looks….after all, I wouldn’t get my taxes done by someone who neglected their own.

I had heard a lot about the Mystic Spray Tanning System and how wonderful it is, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Let me just say, the first time can be a little over whelming. The tanning system is a large booth that you step into and follow the directions of the recorded voice. The machine sprays you head-to-toe with the tanning mist.

The booth is a little loud and the mist is cold, but once you adjust to the process, you will find this to be the quickest and easiest tan of your life. The tanning product is safe for every skin type and the color will adjust depending on your skin’s proteins (therefore, you will not be the same shade of bronze as a friend).

Once the cycle in the booth is complete, you simply air-dry for about 60 seconds and then pat any remaining product off with a towel. If any tanning solution gets on your clothes, it will wash out in the washing machine. The tan last anywhere from 7-10 days and if you moisturize regularly, the longer the color will last longer.

Dos & Don’ts

DO exfoliate before the tanning application (it helps the color go on smoothly)
DON’T shower, swim, or even exercise for at least 5 hours after the process (the color will wash off or get streaky)
DO use the blending cream LIBERALLY to keep palms and soles from tanning (go especially heavy on the soles of the feet because you are barefoot in the booth and the soles accumulate a lot of product)
DON’T wear heavy foundation, lotions, or even perfumes before application (heavy foundations and lotions will keep the tanning solution from reaching the skins and a lot of perfume can cause the color to end up splotchy)
DO remove all jewelry (you don’t want weird lines or bronzed jewelry)
DO go nude (you are alone in the room and booth and it helps give a flawless coverage)
DO wear lose clothing to the salon (you don’t want anything tight rubbing against your skin after the session)
DON’T use toners/ astringents or swim in chlorine (these chemicals will strip off the color)
DO wear sunscreen if you go outside (just because your skin is a bronze color, doesn’t mean you won’t get sunburned….you NEED sunscreen!)

Life

I am a slacker…I’ll admit it (but, mind you, this will be the first and last time). My last post was three months ago and the closest thing to an acceptable excuse is Life….
Life got in the way. I’ve noticed Life has a funny way of doing that sort of thing. One minute you have everything under control then the next you are thrown a curve ball or a fast ball or whatever you want to call it and things are sent spinning in every direction possible. Life can be a bitch!
Over the last few months I have learned laziness, anxiety, and self-doubt do absolutely NOTHING to help a girl’s (or guy’s) complexion. Instead it makes it dull, puffy, and bland….much like your goals, social life, body and personality after spending all that time sitting around being unproductive. But, great news, this CAN BE FIXED! How? Do something…anything…

My something is taking back control of this blog and, in theory, Life. For those of you grammar sticklers, I’m sure you’ve noticed and wondered why “life” is capitalized. Easy…Life is in essence a noun. It can get out of control if not tended to, it can grow when properly feed, and it can control us if we don’t learn how to control it.

So, take back control of your Life…and while you’re at it, try out something new. I think I’m going to try a new lipstick color!
Kisses (in Ruby Red)!